What Should've Happened
by pyrolyn-776
Summary: A take on what should've and could've happened if Sam and Austin weren't so blind.
1. Chapter 1

I own nothing affiliated with ACS.

**A/N: Okay, this is dedicated to those crazy kids who actually want to read A CINDERELLA STORY, not some Jonas fic or an original creation. If you start reading but lose interest, I won't be offended if you just click the back button. If you want to encourage me to keep going, a review is helpful, with maybe some helpful con-crit or what you'd like to see thrown in? **

**Summary: What kind of dummies would've waited so long to reveal their true identities? I mean, well, other than Sam and Austin? Here's what would have happened if they weren't so dumb. Sam/Austin.**

* * *

_Nomad has logged on._

Sam smiled, talking to Nomad was at times her only salvation to living with Fiona. He, despite the lack of knowing who he really was, always seemed to be there when she needed someone to talk to.

**_Nomad: _**_What's up? :)_

Sam smiled. He was obviously in a good mood.

**_PrincetonGirl_**_: Oh you know, plotting ways to get out of here. Same old, same old. _

Within seconds, he had sent a cyber apology.

**_Nomad: _**_Evil stepmom at it again? _

**_PrincetonGirl: _**_What tipped you off? _

**_Nomad: _**_Is that a trick question?_

**_PrincetonGirl: _**_I thought I once told you I wasn't in to games. ;)_

She laughed. Nomad was at times easy to mess with, as poetic and deep as he came off. Sometimes she imagined that he knew who she was, but didn't care. Sometimes she wished that he was merely waiting for the right moment to come out and say, "Sam, I'm Nomad." Sometimes she wished that she could be Cinderella.

But Sam knew that wishing, dreaming, imagining, all of it was useless when action wasn't taken.

She snapped out of her daze when Nomad sent her a little "Buzz."

**_Nomad_**: _Okay, so we've established that your stepmom is indeed, evil. I wish I could help._

**_PrincetonGirl: _**_You already have._

_PrincetonGirl has logged off. _

* * *

"So let me get this straight. You've been talking with this guy for months now and you still don't know who he is?" Carter, Sam's right hand man, sat in the passenger side of her 'stang, amused, but shocked by her revelation.

Sam, eyes on the road, nodded. "Well, yeah. I mean," she glanced at Carter for a second before continuing, "why ruin what we already have? I don't want things to get awkward."

"So you'd rather text and IM this guy, hoping that he'll someday find you and whisk you away to la la land?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't say that exactly, Carter."

"Aha!" Carter pointed out, victoriously. "So you admit that you would say something quite similar!"

Sam sighed. "No Carter, that's not what I meant either."

"Oh yeah, I'm right. You can't deny it. It's written all over your perfectly symmetrical face Sam."

"You're so weird Carter," Sam laughed.

He crossed his arms. "Don't judge me."

* * *

"Austin Ames," Mr. Jones, known amongst his students merely as "Jones" called, scanning his eyes over the class.

Austin raised his hand. "Present and accounted for," he replied jokingly.

Jones rolled his eyes. "A simple 'here' would do just fine Mr. Ames."

"Sir, yes sir."

Jones continued on the list, reaching Carter and Sam as he went on. Rubbing his hands together he smiled, a twinkle in his old, wrinkled eyes. "Alright kiddies, I've got some exciting news to announce."

A kid from the back spoke loudly, "You're retiring?" A few snickers emerged as he high-fived kids around him.

"That depends, Mr. Dermont, you going to graduate this year?" The class laughed as the kid sulked in his seat. "All right then," Jones continued, "what I was going to say is that we're going to be doing a little partner project for the next few weeks."

Unified groans circled throughout the classroom.

"Very funny guys. Did you honestly think I'd let you go through my creative writing class without effort?"

"Is that a trick question?"

Sam snapped her head up, looking to Austin, who had asked the question. She faltered for a second, before shaking her head at the ridiculous question mark that plagued her thoughts.

"Ha, you amuse me Mr. Ames."

Sam looked to Carter, mouthing, "Partners?" At his nod, she smiled, happy with herself. Carter was such a pushover, she'd be free to do whatever she wanted with the project.

"Pull a name out of the hat. I think you know what happens after that," Jones said, smiling at his corny rhyme as he walked around to one side of the room. Carter and Sam were sitting on the same side, which meant no chance of them being partners.

Her shoulders slumped as she shook her head in apology towards Carter. Carter pulled out a name regardless, shrugging before reading the name. A wide grin, one that made him look as if he had done something wrong, spread across his face. He then winked towards Shelby Cummings. "Hey partner," he announced.

Shelby cringed. "Ew."

And then Jones came to Sam. "Miss Montgomery? It would help if you would pick a name."

Sam snapped out of her trance, mumbling an incoherent line before reaching into the hat. She pulled out a thin piece of paper as Jones moved on. Opening up the tiny piece of paper, she read aloud, "Austin Ames."

Austin turned to her, nodding once. She sighed. It was just her luck, getting Ames as a partner.

"Alright, get with your partners now."

Sam sighed, heading over to Austin's desk. What would an hour of class on his side of the fence be like?

Guess she was going to have to find out.

* * *

**Reviews are appreciated. ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

I own nothing.

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, and/or alerted this story. As any writer does, I appreciated it all. You guys are amazing and I hope that this next installment is up to par with what you were expecting. To any future readers, thank you for reading this as well. :)**

* * *

"Hey," Austin offered as Sam sat down next to him.

His smile was genuine, something that surprised Sam if just a little. Austin was meant to be a jerk. He was not supposed to be nice. It threw the entire high school stereotypical image completely out of proportion.

Sam nodded towards him, without comment.

Her lack of response took _him _by surprise, not because he was, in Sam's words, a "jerk" but because he was so used to the attention.

"So I'm Austin," he said, in a tone that assumed she didn't know.

She did. Anyone who didn't was living under a rock. "I know who you are," she muttered back, trying to keep an open mind. The truth was that she didn't want Ames as her partner.

With him, he was bound to screw things up for her.

"Oh." Confused, and unsure of what to say next, Austin merely sighed. "And your name would be...?" he asked jokingly.

Sam locked eyes with him, her inner annoyance fighting its way to her expression. Her rational side lost. "We're in three classes together. You eat at my _stepmother's_ diner quite often. Your friends refer to me, so eloquently I should add, as 'Diner Girl'. And yet, here you sit, not knowing my name."

Austin narrowed his eyes at her. "Look, I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sor -

She cut him off. "Don't say you're sorry."

"And why not?" he shot back, fed up with her blatant dislike of him.

"Because you don't mean it."

"Have I done something to offend you in the recent past?"

Sam laughed sarcastically. "No, you haven't, your _highness_."

Austin glared at her, his body stiffening. "You know, maybe I'm not the nicest guy in the world, but I've never been an ass to you. What's your problem?"

"Miss Montgomery, Mr. Ames," Jones voice cut the pair off, "would you care to share what you two are so heatedly talking about?" The kink in his eyebrow suggested that he was amused, but the firm smirk on his face told them otherwise.

"Uh, sorry," Sam said lamely, a faint blush rising from her neck to her cheeks.

"Don't be sorry Sam. I just want to see some effort put into this project." He turned to the rest of the class. "As you now have your partners, it's about time I explain what you all will be doing, correct?"

The class nodded. "Yes."

Jones clapped his hands together once. "Good. Each pair of you guys will be writing a paper," at the negative feedback the class gave him, Jones sighed. "Shut up, will you?" At their silence he continued, "You will be writing a paper on one another. Simple, easy, no? Wrong. You will be doing extensive research on one another. I want you to dig deep. Deeper than you ever imagined you could get. I don't want papers about favorite colors and favorite whatevers. Originality, creativity, that, that will get you an A."

Sam sighed. Digging deep within Austin Ames? Not on her to-do list.

"Alright, you may begin."

Austin turned to her. "Well Mary Sunshine, how's life treated you?" he asked sarcastically.

"Oh absolutely fine, thanks for asking," Sam responded, just as sarcastic.

Austin hung his head. "Can we please stop with the," he paused, "whatever this is? I'm not trying to be an ass. I need an A on this paper."

"Fine." Sam turned to him, suddenly curious. "Why would YOU of all people need an A on this paper? You're going to get a football scholarship. Everyone knows it."

Austin winced. "Can we not talk about that right now?"

"Hey, Jones said we're supposed to dig deep. So tell me, all-star, why do you of all people, student body president, captain of the football team, need an A?"

"You think that just because I'm a football player that I don't care about my GPA?"

"Honestly, I'm surprised you know what a GPA is."

Austin glared. "I'm not incompetent. And you know, for someone who seems to hate stereotypes, you've got a lot of prejudice in you."

Sam's jaw dropped, just as the bell rang. Before she could get another word in though, Austin had already gathered his things. The last thing he said to her was, "Later Sam."

Sam's eyes widened further as she realized that Austin Ames, glorified golden boy, knew her name.

* * *

"Haha, you've got Austin Ames as a partner," Carter declared, sitting at the counter of "Fiona's".

Sam set a cup of coke next to him. "Do you have to keep reminding me?"

Carter, still, couldn't keep the delirious smile of glee off his face. "This is so great." Shaking his head, he took a sip of the soda.

"How is it great?" Sam asked, skeptical.

"Because! If you get close to Austin, and I get close to Shelby, it's a win-win situation."

Sam stared. And then she laughed. And laughed. And laughed. When she was done laughing, she placed a hand on Carter's shoulder. "The day that Fiona acts like a decent human being is the day that Austin and I will hook up."

* * *

**Reviews, suggestions, nitpickyspellcheckers, are all very appreciated. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

I own nothing.

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, and/or alerted this story. You guys are pretty awesome for giving me some really helpful con-crit. It helped me set up the flow of this story, and I hope you'll be able to tell. Thanks, and without further rambling from Pyro, go ahead and read. ;)**

* * *

Sam and Carter were walking to their creative writing class, a mega-watt smile on Carter's face, a frown on Sam's.

To herself, Sam muttered the same phrase over and over again: "Austin Ames does not matter in real life."

Carter sighed. "Sam, come on. Can he really be that bad?"

"Austin Ames does not matter in - " she paused. "Can he really be that bad? You're joking right? Carter, take a look around you. We're _surrounded _by some of the pettiest people...ever. Austin Ames is no exception." She nodded once to confirm her thoughts.

"Sam..."

She stopped, finally looking to her friend. "What?" she said casually.

He looked nervous, like he was in trouble. Then, without saying a word, he pointed.

Austin Ames stood five feet away from the two, jaw set, fists clenched. He didn't glare in her direction, but it almost seemed as if he really wanted to say something to her, possibly defend himself. But he didn't. Instead, he readjusted his backpack, heading off to creative writing.

Where Sam would, unfortunately for her, soon be joining him.

Sam took a deep breathe. "Did that - Did that just happen?"

Carter and her stood still, staring as Austin walked away. He didn't look at her, but he nodded to answer her question. "Are you asking me that or was that rhetorical?"

"Carter, shut up."

He crossed his arms. "Oh, fine then. Just diss me like that. I see how it is."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Look, Carter, you might have missed the dilemma here,so allow me to give youthe cliff notes: Austin Ames? Hates me now."

"Hey, don't look at me like that._I'm _not the one who has it out for Ames just because he likes to throw some pigskin around every now and then."

Sam blinked, tilting her head to him. "How did you know that pigskin is a reference to football?"

He lifted his chin up. "Hey, I know stuff."

"I never doubted that, Carter. You're just, no offense," - she laughed - "not the sporty type."

"Ooh, so now I'm a _type_."

She nodded. "Dazed and delusional." Then, she started walking once more to meet her doom, aka: Austin Ames.

Carter scratched his head, raising his right arm high. "Um, should I take offense to that?"

Sam merely laughed.

* * *

"What another fabulous Monday, wouldn't you all agree? The sun is shining, the birds are singing...oh wait, no they're not. They're birds!" Jones started to crack up at the joke lost upon ninety-nine percent of his class. "Well, alright then. I hope you all had a great weekend, but just a heads up: The fun stops the second you walk through that door." He pointed to the rectangular space that people were still flooding in from. "So get your heads off those desks, get with your partners, and start working on this paper."

No one moved.

"What? Do you all need personal invitations? Now!"

The class sluggishly got up, moving desks and chairs, bodies and lips. Carter sprung out of his seat, more than happy to oblige to Jones' request. "Hey, Shelby. How are you?" he said, wearing what could only be described as a glowing smile.

She grimaced. "Don't talk to me and just maybe we'll both survive this assignment."

He smiled. "You betcha."

"What part of 'don't talk to me' didn't you understand?"

"Oh, well I-

She waved her perfectly manicured hands at him. "Nuh uh."

He quieted, choosing to stare down at the floor instead. What Shelby didn't realize, was what was going on inside Carter's head. And at that precise moment, it was, _Oh, she wants me. _

On the opposite side of the room though, Sam hesitantly made her way over to Austin, trying as hard as possible to make the situation not as awkward as it was definitely going to become. She sat down. "Hey," she offered.

He stared at his desk, not even bothering to reciprocate with a hello. "Ignorance is bliss, right?" he finally said to her.

Sam opened her mouth to respond, but promptly closed it. "What are you getting at?"

He nodded towards her. "You, of course."

She pointed to herself. "Me?"

"No, the other Sam Montgomery."

She sighed. "I guess I deserved that."

"Oh, really now?" he said with biting sarcasm. "You think you have a right to make assumptions about me, based on what? My extracurricular activities? Who I affiliate myself with? What I wear? How I look? God, you know, I don't know _what _exactly I did to you, but if you could shed some light on this, please do."

Sam fiddled with her thumbs, in the literal sense. "I - I, look, I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to be so mean last time. I don't know why, I just - " She fumbled for the right words, only to become frustrated with herself. "What do you want me to say, Ames? I _am _sorry. You're right. I did judge you perhaps a bit too harshly, and I'm sorry."

"Why are you so critical?" he said, focusing on her.

She laughed. "If you knew my stepfamily, you'd probably understand."

His eyes flickeredwith mildcuriousity. "Stepfamily?"

"Yeah. Demons. All of them."

He seemed puzzled, like he wanted to ask her something, but was unsure if he should. "What's so wrong with them?"

"Everything?" She looked down before looking straight into his eyes. "You ever feel like everyone else has control over you, like you have absolutely no say in how your life runs?"

Austin sat still. Then he nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"Well, imagine that, but with the mother of all dictators."

"I'm sorry?"

"No, it's not your problem. I'm just hoping to graduate this year so I can get out a year early, get away from Fiona as soon as possible."

His look of curiosity deepened. "A year early? You're a junior?"

She nodded.

"So, you wouldn't happen to want to go to Princeton, would you?"

Sam laughed. "What, are you some kind of magician or something?"

"No," he said softly. "If you are who I think you are, I'm Nomad."

* * *

**A/N: 5:57 AM Eastern timeon October 25th! I'm done! Whoo. Hope you all liked this chapter, and maybe you might want to leave a review? I'm working on the next chapter now, so hopefully it'll be up in seven days or less. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

I own nothing.

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, and/or alerted this story. You guys are pretty awesome for giving me some really helpful con-crit. It helped me set up the flow of this story, and I hope you'll be able to tell. Thanks, and without further rambling from Pyro, go ahead and read. ;)**

* * *

Sam made a noise that was somewhere between choking and gasping. "_You're_ Nomad?"

Sam found it too hard, too weird to believe. Austin Ames and Nomad being one in the same? She just couldn't wrap her head around it.

Austin nodded as he leaned in a bit closer. "I'm going to take a guess and say you're PrincetonGirl." His expression was priceless, an almost mischievious smirk gracing his face.

"Well, I mean, how did you know?" Sam bit her lip out of habit, somewhat nervous.

Austin shrugged. "I didn't. I just thought I'd throw that out there." Austin laughed to himself quietly, as Sam sat unsettled. "Are you disappointed or something?"

Sam said honestly, "You're not exactly what I expected."

Austin raised his eyebrows. "What? You think all football players don't know how to function without a cheerleader by his side? I'll share a secret with you, Sam." He leaned in closer. "I have the third highest GPA in the school."

Sam looked down, a tiny blush rising from her neck to her cheeks. "Oh."

Austin almost laughed at her expression, but instead he smiled softly. "You know, I'm glad it is you. I always wondered what it'd be like to meet 'PrincetonGirl' and I can safely say that it's nice, not having to wonder anymore."

Sam mirrored his expression. "Look, Austin, I'm sor-

"Whoa, no need to apologize. I'd hate me too, I think, if I were you."

"But I don't hate you, I _didn't _hate you. I'm just," Sam looked over to Shelby, "let's just say I'm not very fond of your girlfriend." She grimaced.

Austin groaned, mumbling to himself, "You're not the only one." He too, glanced over to his girlfriend. As she pretended to care about a babbling Carter, she continued to text her lackies underneath the table.

Sam noticed his lack of arguement. "Can I ask you a question?" Sam asked, as she turned away from the blonde.

"You just did," he joked.

"Oh, shut up." She leaned forward, whispering, "Why _are _you with Shelby? Nomad doesn't seem like the type to go for...well, you know what I mean."

Austin sighed. "Fulfilling my high school destiny?" he said half-jokingly.

Sam looked down. "I see."

"Hey," Austin began, struggling for something to say. "Sam, I really am glad that we met. I mean, now you won't be such a PMSing bitch, and I can actually like you." Sam's jaw dropped, just as he smiled as a signal to say he was joking.

Sam took the bait. "You jerk! I actually thought you were serious!"

Jones suddenly appeared before them. "So, how goes the project?"

Sam jumped. Austin blinked. Jones stood smiling. Sam spoke up first. "We're doing...okay? I guess?"

Jones frowned. "Okay won't get you an A today. Hey hey hey, that rhymed! Hurray!" Jones laughed wholeheartedly, walking away to the next pair.

The two blinked as he walked away, both wondering if their teacher was on some kind of medication. They shook their heads in unison.

"So, I really do need an A, Sam," Austin confessed.

"So...what do you want to do?"

"Pass?" he joked once more.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Thank you, captain obvious, but really, what _are _we going to do?"

A moment passed when suddenly, both Sam and Austin sat upright. At the same time, they said, "I got it!"

And Jones, with his face hidden behind yesterday's newspaper, perked up. "Montgomery, Ames, get on it!"

Sam laughed, saluting the newspaper. "Aye aye sir!"

Austin pointed to Sam. "What she said."

* * *

Carter openly stared at Sam, shaking his head as he did. "I can't believe it."

Sam looked up from her homework, setting her pencil down as she did. "What?"

"You. And Mr. All-star." He continued to shake his head. "Pretty ironic if you ask me."

Sam narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Um, hello? Don't you remember what you said on the first day of school?"

Sam blinked. "Are you telling me you do?"

Carter smiled triumphantly. "It's not only an actor's job, but his duty to have a good memory."

Sam deadpanned, "Carter, what'd you eat for breakfast this morning?"

"I don't know." Carter continued to smile. "But I do remember what you said! You said, 'People like Shelby and Austin are genetically programmed to find each other.' So, if you ask me, _Sam, _it's pretty funny how you're, like, in love with him now."

"I am _not_ in love with him."

Carter whistled, clearly not agreeing. "Keep telling yourself Sam, after all, they say repetition is key. Eventually you'll even believe the lie."

"I'm NOT in love with him, Carter!"

"Mmm-hmm, whatever you say, _Princeton Girl_."

"Oh, real mature, Carter."

"I try."

* * *

**A/N: Heh. *Raises hands in defense* Sorry for the wait! Hope you liked this even if just a little bit!**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I own nothing, of course.

**A/N: I have to make this quick, a great big helping of pot roast is calling my name! I just wanted to thank everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, and/or enjoyed this story! Thank you so much!**

* * *

"No, Carter."

"_Please_?" Carter pleaded, batting his eyelashes at Sam as she continued on toward their lockers.

Sam refused to meet his eyes and shook her head. "No."

"Why not?"

"Because I said so."

"_Because I said so_," Carter mimicked in a squeaky voice.

Sam smiled as they stopped, Carter leaning against his locker as Sam opened up hers talking out her physics book. She closed the locker slowly, smiling sweetly at her best friend/current enemy. "You're not doing a very good job at convincing me."

"Oh, come on. What's the worst that could happen?" He touched her shoulder, dramatically saying, "Oh, no! Someone call 911! Sam Montgomery tripped on her Barbie heels!" The 'method' actor couldn't hold up a straight face and had to look away as he chuckled softly.

Sam glared, hitting his head. "See, this is exactly why I'm not going." She walked away, muttering to herself about stupid people and Barbie heels.

Carter ran up, catching her arm. "Please go to Homecoming with me?" He smiled, hugging her tightly. "I'll be your best friend!"

Sam pushed him away, laughing as she rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll go. BUT! You don't get to play that stupid best friend card for a year. Got it?"

He jumped up and down, excitedly kissing the top of her head. Carter then backed up slowly, "Okay...I have class now, but Sam, this is going to be awesome!"

Sam sighed. "What a strange, strange boy."

"Who's a strange boy?"

Sam jumped at the question, turning around to see none other than Austin. "Uh, no one."

Austin laughed, "Okay?"

"It's nothing," she evaded.

Austin plucked her physics book out of her hands, opening it with his hands. Sheepishly, he looked into her eyes. "We have physics together," he admitted aloud.

"Yup," Sam nodded, "about a month now, buddy."

"I'm sorry that I never realized..." He let the sentence trail off, knowing how awkward the moment had become.

"Yeah, well, no big deal. You _are _Austin Ames after all," Sam joked, taking her book back out of his hands.

Austin quickly snatched it book. "A genteman always carries a lady's books for her."

Sam hit his shoulder, taking the book once more out of his hands. "Um, dude, first of all, the gentleman is supposed to carry his girlfriend's books, and secondly, this is just one. I'm no pansy, I can do it myself. See? Look at that!" She pointed to her right arm. "I can do it with just one!"

The two had begun walking together to Physics without even realizing what they were doing. Coming from completely different social classes, people around them were giving them strange looks, whispering to one another about the odd pair. Still, Austin and Sam remained oblivious, content in their joking la la land.

"So...you going to Homecoming?" Austin asked in a voice Sam wasn't used to. It was tender, almost as if he wanted to ask her himself.

"Uh, yeah," she replied, blushing a bit as she glued her eyes to her scruffy converse.

He swallowed uneasily, his fists clenching. "Oh."

"With Carter!" she reassured. "The, um, strange boy?" She laughed hesitantly, not understanding why she felt bad about his disappointed tone. He did have a girlfriend after all. An evil one, but a girlfriend nonetheless.

Austin perked up. "Oh?"

"Yeah, he's kind of been looking forward to this for a while. I mean, I promised him that I'd go with him during freshman year, but I got sick and then he couldn't go...and last year _he _got sick...I mean, I wasn't going to go, but I-"

Austin cut her off. "So, you two are, uh, together?"

His stumble over the last word surprised Sam. She shook her head vigorously. "Me? And Carter? No, no, no. He's - Well, he's like my brother." She smiled fondly, thinking of good memories. "He's my best friend."

The golden boy stopped in his tracks, turning to the blonde in amazement. "Wow."

Sam pulled her hand up to her face. "What? Something on my face?"

"No, no. It's just the way you said that. So...I don't know. You really care about him, don't you?"

She smiled, nodding. "Yeah. He's been there for me ever since-" She stopped, her eyes beginning to glaze over.

"Ever since?" Austin prodded.

"Ever since my dad died," she whispered.

"I'm sor-"

She put a hand on his arm, stopping him. "Just - Just don't, okay?"

He nodded. "So, um, what do you think you're going to wear?"

"Wear?"

"To Homecoming?"

"Oh, right."

Sam bit her lip. _What _am_ I going to wear?_

* * *

Sam sighed. "Please, please tell me you were joking."

Carter rubbed his fake mustache fondly. "Zorro never jokes!" he said with enthusiasm.

"Carter!" she whined. "I don't want to go as your - as your...Carter, who's Zorro's right hand woman?"

"Catherine Zeta Jones," he said with stars in his eyes.

Sam giggled, mumbling under her breath, "Fat chance of _that _happening."

"You're mean."

"And you're delusional, but you don't hear me complaining."

"Yeah I am! I'm Zorro, buddy, whether you like it or not!" Carter turned to the waitress walking past the pair. "Rhonda!" he called out.

Rhonda turned to the boy, putting a hand lazily on her hip. "What do you want, boy?"

"What should Sam go as for Homecoming?"

Rhonda threw her hands up in the air, and ran happily up to Sam. "You're going this year!?!"

Sam sighed. "Yeah, unfortunately. Carter pulled out the friend card again."

Rhonda high-fived Zorro, whispering something into his ear. Carter's eyes lit up. "That's perfect! Thanks, Rhonda!"

Sam looked at them warily, recognizing that a plan was forming, and clearly she wasn't invited to the all-knowing party. "Oh, no. What are you two doing?"

Rhonda smiled, and Carter took a sip of his drink. "_Nothing._"

Sam snorted. "Right, nothing. And I'm the queen of Princeton."

* * *

**A/N: Enjoy? Anyone? **


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own A Cinderella Story nor am I making a profit by posting this piece of fiction.

A/N: So, I AM on a hiatus, but this story is going to be updated. I'm updating only one of my stories at a time until it's completion, and what do you know? This is the lucky pick. ;) Thank you all for the reviews and I sincerely hope this installment doesn't disappoint.

* * *

The monotony of being a waitress can at times bore anyone to tears. For Sam, the hours in the day only seemed to get longer as time passed by. And on a Tuesday night, where the place looked almost dead, she sincerely wished that Fiona would just keel over and die. At least then possession of the diner would be turned over to her and then she could fire herself and move far, far away.

Sam looked over to the clock. 6:57. She then glanced down to her watch. 7:12. Stupid Fiona had set the diner's clock fifteen minutes back to mess with her even more. Stupid, stupid Fiona. Sam clenched her jaw, as well as the half empty cup of sweet tea in her hand. "Stupid Fiona," she muttered under her breath. Turning away from the counter she had been cleaning, she went to dump out the lukewarm drink.

"Aww, poor Sam. Hey! I know! You should come over tonight! We can watch The Princess Bride!"

Sam nearly jumped at the sound of Carter's voice. She set the sweet tea down on the counter and glared at the boy. "Carter," she started out warily, pausing for dramatic effect. She put both of her hands calmly on the counter. "What did I tell you about sneaking up on me?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Um, only do it when you're not paying attention?"

Sam sighed. "God, I worry for your sanity."

"Who? Me? You're so sweet, Sammy!"

"Okay, what did I tell you about calling me that?"

Carter furrowed his eyebrows and looked up to the ceiling. "Only call you that in the secrecy of your...'stang?" he tried.

She rolled her eyes. "Nice, Carter."

He bowed. "Thank you, thank you. Come back in a few hours and the comic stylings of C-man will be rolling steadily along."

"C-man?" Sam giggled.

"What? It has...character."

"You mean stupidity."

"Character!" Carter argued.

"Um, no," Sam shook her head.

"Charac-"

Carter's laughter was cut off abruptly by the rude entering of none other than Sam's worst nightmare - Fiona. "Well, well. Look at what we have here. Little Sam and her trusty sidekick, nerd with the chapstick fetish." She smirked evily at the pair, Sam's infuriated look only egging her on more. "Tell me, Sam, do I pay you to stand around and talk to your little buddy here?" She tilted her head towards Carter, who was backing up slowly, trying to avoid the tiny war.

"No," Sam said, not willing to give in to the bottled blonde.

"That's what I thought. Get back to work, Sam." She turned on her barbie heels, headed straight to the register for more cash to burn. Her ugly ass sashayed away, Sam and Carter staring disgusted the entire time.

Once she left, Carter sat down at the counter. "I really, really don't like her."

"Join the club," chorused Sam and Rhonda chorused, Rhonda joining Sam from behind the counter.

Carter took out a menu, even though Sam knew exactly what he was going to order - a cheeseburger, fries, and a coke. Whenever Fiona wasn't around, she served him free of charge. It was just one of the few ways she was able to stick it to her stepmother, however small the attack was. Sam plucked the menu away from him and smiled. "Carter, you've ordered the same thing for as long as I can remember. Why do you even bother?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. And you know...I was thinking about trying something different!"

"Really? Like what?"

"Onion rings!" he said vigorously. "Onion rings!"

She raised her eyebrows. "You don't like those."

"Oh, well..." he faltered. "Okay. Just put in the order, Sammy girl."

She raised her eyebrows at him. "What?"

"Sam," he corrected, smiling widely.

She nodded slowly. "Much better."

She placed Carter's order, and then returned to the counter, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "I can't wait until I graduate," she admitted to her friend. "I'm telling you Carter, I can't stand her. I really, truly can't stand her."

"I know, bud. I know."

"I mean, yeah, I can wash a dish or two every now and then, but she acts like I'm her slave! And I'm not about to just bow down to her! I shouldn't have to!" She was frustrated and it seemed as if no one really got it, not even Carter. And why would he? His parents were awesome, he was an only child, had a great GPA, and was guaranteed a place at any college of his choosing. He had it made.

"Sam, come on. You've got me, remember?" He put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, before pulling her into an over-the-counter hug.

She sighed, and rested her head on his shoulder. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Carter."

Carter sucked in a deep breath, a tiny pang in his heart taking a hit. "I feel the same way, Sam. I love you." _A lot more than I should, Sam._

She pulled away, and smiled. "You're my best friend, y'know. I love you, too."

Rhonda stared at the two, shaking her head sadly, knowing there was going to be problems between the two in the near future. To herself, she mumbled, "Teenagers."

* * *

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Sam's eyes fluttered open, only to find Austin's staring right into hers. "Huh?" she questioned, rubbing her eyelids.

He laughed, and put the penny he was holding into her palm. "Falling asleep in the library? I can't say that I'm surprised, but I never thought I'd see the day when Sam Montgomery would snooze in such a public place." He helped her up, as she gathered her books together quickly.

"What time is it?" she muttered.

"Four thirty. School got out an hour ago, Sam." The perfect smile was still on his features, but Sam wasn't paying attention to him in the slightest, much to his dismay. He _wanted _her to notice him.

"Crap," she mumbled. She looked at him then, and smiled sheepishly. "I had to leave my car at home; I misplaced my keys I think. Um, could you give me a ride?"

Austin's face brightened at her question. "Sure."

"Thanks."

"So, Sam, can I ask you something?"

Sam stopped putting her stuff away and nodded, not thinking much of the nervous smile on his face. "Yeah, sure? What's up?"

"Would you like to go out with me on Saturday?"

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry for the cliffhanger. :P Heh, oh, and before anyone questions the Shelby factor, you should probably wait until I post the chapter after this. Please and thank you! **


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I own nothing having to do with A Cinderella Story.

A/N: Due to the great responses from you guys, I've decided to just speed through this and get my next chapter up! Plus, since homework has taken its toll and I can barely find a minute to reply to reviews, I figured this was the best way to apologize for that small matter. I hope you guys still like Pyro. ;)

* * *

"Wh - what?"

Austin rocked awkwardly on his heels, knowing just how out of the blue the question was. But he was determined to have her say yes. He had only been thinking about her every minute of the day - ever since their identities had been revealed to each other. "Okay, look. If you're wondering about Shelby-"

"Of course I'm wondering about Shelby she-devil. She's your girlfriend, remember? You know, I can't believe I'm even hearing this right now." Sam had all of her things in her hands, a baseball cap on her head. Shaking her head, she whipped out her cell phone, prepared to call Carter. "I'll just get Carter to come get me, because you've obviously lost your mind."

"Shelby and I broke up."

Sam paused, her finger hovering over the "call" button. "What?" she whispered, just loud enough for the footballer to hear.

"Last night. I broke it off."

"Why?"

"Because someone else had been plaguing my mind." There was a pointed look in his eye as he stepped closer to Sam. She fumbled back, knocking into a bookshelf. "You, Sam."

"Look, Austin, I'm not about to play the role of rebound girl."

"I didn't ask you to."

"Because I really don't need this right now."

"Then just say yes."

Her eyes searched his, for any sign of a joke. She hung her head dejectedly. "Why do you want to go out with me?"

"Because I like you."

"But _why_?"

"Isn't it obvious?" He was so close to her at that point that all Sam had to do was lean forward and her head would touch his chest. Austin used his nimble fingers to pull her chin up so that she was looking right into his eyes. "You're...God, you're amazing," he whispered.

Sam's heart froze as Austin leaned down. _He's going to kiss me..._ Just as his lips went in for the kill, Sam ducked out of the way. "I - I can't do this. Not yet."

"I, um, sorry."

She sighed. "No, it's not you. It's-"

"Please don't tell me you're about to use that line."

Sam looked at him, confused. "What?"

"The whole, 'It's not you, it's me,' thing." Austin sighed and sat himself down atop one of the wooden tables. "Did I just screw up our friendship?"

Sam couldn't help but find his expression adorable. She laughed. "No. I just don't know if I'm ready to be Austin Ame's girl-" she stopped herself. "Date," she corrected.

"Would it be so terrible? Dating me?" The glint in his eye made Sam want to kiss the life out of him. But she was scared, and she just wasn't sure if she, well, if she wanted to date Mr. Popularity.

"No."

"Then go out with me." He smiled and hopped down from the table. Kneeling onto the ground, he took one of her hands in his, kissing it gently. "Please, fair maiden, one date."

Sam bit her lip._ I'm so going to regret this._ "_One_ date."

"Yes!"

* * *

"YOU SAID YES!?!"

Sam blinked at the shrill tone in Carter's voice. "Yeah. Isn't that what you wanted?" She was kind of concerned about the way Carter was looking at her. She'd never seen him look at her that way before. Not in a way where it looked like he was about to kiss her.

Carter faltered. "Well, yeah. No. I," he hesitated. Turning away he mumbled something incoherent.

"What?"

"I said I don't want you to go out with Ames."

"Why not?" Sam wasn't mad, just kind of surprised. A while ago Carter had been excited. He'd been in love with Shelby Cummings - God knows why - forever, so really, shouldn't he have been happy?

"Because."

"Because isn't an answer, Carter."

"Yeah it is. I said it, so it obviously is." His childish answer was enough to make Sam's heart smile, and she leaned over the table to steal his McDonald's milkshake. Taking a sip as Carter stared mock-angrily, she said, "Hey, I wouldn't have taken it if you hadn't been so dang childish."

_God, Sam. What would you do if you knew the truth? _"Hey! Give me back my life source!" Carter shrieked, desperate to get away from the topic at hand.

Sam held the drink out of his reach, smirking slightly. "Tell me why you don't want me to go out with Austin."

Carter sat back in his seat, contemplating. _On the one hand, she'll know. On the other hand...she'll still know. _"I don't want to tell you," he finally said.

Sam blinked. "But we tell each other everything."

"I can't tell you this."

"How come? Is it bad? Come on, Carter. I swear, if there's something about Austin that bothers you, you can tell me."

"He's a great guy, Sam," he said softly. _Stupid muscular jock._

"Okay...so, you _do _want me to go out with him?"

Carter shrugged. "Only if you want to." His eyes shifted all over the place, before settling on her own. "Do you?"

Sam sighed, looking out the window. "I don't know."

"He asked you out for Saturday, right?"

"Yup."

"Well, you still have a few days to decide. Just think it over. Pros and cons."

"Thanks, Carter, but I just don't know. I mean, Nomad was...amazing. And then he turns out to be Austin Ames. I don't know if that's a good thing or my worst nightmare coming true."

"Definitely your worst nightmare."

Sam rolled her eyes, tossing a french frie at him. "Ha. You're so funny."

* * *

"Okay."

Austin stared at Sam, with a slight smile on his face, but a bit of confusion set across it as well. "Okay?"

"Saturday, right? I'll go out with you."

Austin brightened up immensely. "Great! So, I'll pick you up at seven then?"

Sam nodded. "Sure."

"Cool." And then, Austin did the unexpected. He leaned down to Sam's cheek and kissed her. "I'll see you then," he whispered.

Across the quad, no more than a hundred feet away, stood Carter, staring solemnly as his best friend blushed at the intimate gesture. With a heavy heart he turned his back on her and walked away. _Well, there you go, Ames. Once again, you've managed to get everything your heart desires. Yay you._

* * *

A/N: Carter's feelings are steadily growing stronger, wouldn't you all agree? So...does heartache await the "method" actor? Read on to see! (But reveiw first. ;D)


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I own nothing affiliated with A Cinderella Story. Higher ups beat me on that piece of real estate.

**A/N: It's been about three months since I updated this bad boy, and I expect just about everyone who's read it to have forgotten every word...but that's okay. I'm just going to finish this fic anyway. :) I hope you guys enjoy this!**

* * *

"Are you okay, Carter?"

Carter stopped playing with the pink straw in his coke, courtesy of Fiona, and turned to his best buddy, Sam. "Huh?"

She stopped wiping the counter with the rag in her hand and frowned at him, taking note of the fact that his burger and fries lay untouched, his coke unsipped. Something, though she wasn't sure what, was definitely wrong. "Okay," she leaned against the counter, "what's up?"

"Nothing, really."

"Nothing? So, you're depressed because of...nothing?" Sam raised her brows and took a sip of Carter's coke, smiling when his lips curled upward. "Come on, Carter! I know you. Something's wrong. Tell me."

He sighed dejectedly and did a little spin on his seat. "Okay, so, let's say, hypothetically speaking, there's this girl I like."

Sam squealed. "What's her name!?"

Carter glared at her and deadpanned, "Hypothetical, Sam. Stay with me here." He closed his eyes and began again. "And let's say that she's way out of my leaque, totally gorgeous, and never in a million years could I be her Mr. Prince Charming."

"Ouch," Sam sympathized. "She's already got a boyfriend?"

"Well, no, but -

"Then what are you doing here, Carter!? Go get the girl!"

"Sam. Hypothetical." He mentally banged his head against the wall, cursing his friend for being so oblivious.

"Whatever. Hypothetical my ass. What's her name?" She was really excited because Carter had never really shown a true interest in anyone before, save for Shelby, but she didn't really count.

"Sam," Carter sighed.

Sam thought he was just frustrated with her, but Carter had just revealed his secret, though unintentionally. He held his breath, waiting for her reaction.

She blinked. "Yeah? What? Fine. Don't tell me." She picked up her rag and started to walk away to the kitchen. Over her shoulder she called, "But don't think I won't find out who this mystery girl is one way or another!"

Carter released the breath and took a ferocious bite out of a cold french fry. "Thanks, God. If my life couldn't be any more humiliating enough, you had to throw that in my face."

* * *

"So, how do you feel about twenty questions?"

Sam and Austin were sitting down in a pretty quiet ice cream parlor, Sam happily munching away with her Rocky Road while Austin took a quick sip of his fruit smoothie. They had started with a movie, nothing too bad, just a pretty good comedy that had the two laughing. Things were easy going, nothing embarrassing had happened so far. Afterwards Austin took her for a quick bite, burgers and fries. Sam really appreciated it, too, as there was no way she was going to pretend as if she wanted a salad and an ice water. She wasn't one of those girls.

Sam looked up mid-lick and smiled. She let the cream slide down before asking, "Twenty questions? I, uh -

Austin sat up a little straighter and ran his fingers through his hair. For a second Sam thought he'd done it on purpose to get a rise out of her. "I'll go first," he declared. "Um...do you like me?" His eyes twinkled at his oh-so-clever question, because he knew that there was no escape from his question.

She got tongue-tied trying to evade the question but then finally rolled her eyes. "Yes, okay?" She smiled regardless and used her spoon to stir her ice cream up. "My turn," she said, setting the dessert to the side. "When you found out it was me, were you genuinely happy? I mean, honestly?"

He took a large slurp of the Strawberry-Kiwi Fusion-ish drink and then nodded his head towards her. "Absolutely. Do you know what kind of relief it is, to like a girl who doesn't obsess over her weight or care that she's good at sports? I just...I like you, Sam. A lot. More than a lot, actually." He looked embarrassed for a second but then moved his hand to touch hers. "I know that this is moving a little fast, and I don't want to freak you out or anything, but I - I've never felt this way for anyone before."

Sam looked down, but then took a hold of his hand, giving it a good squeeze. "You're not the only one, Austin," she whispered. At his smile she shook her head and grinned. "Next question."

"Okay. Um...dancing or romantic candle-lit dinner?"

"Oh, that's easy. Dinner." She laughed and shrugged girlishly. "Girl's got to eat!"

Austin laughed along with her and then smiled. "Great. It's a date."

"Wait, what?"

"This Saturday, I want you to come and have a romantic candle-lit dinner courtesy of Austin Ames." He leaned back with his smoothie and smiled at the look on her face.

"I - I don't know if I."

"No buts. Please."

Sam smiled and took a bite of her melty Rocky Road. "Um, of course."

* * *

"He asked me on a second date, Carter!"

"Great."

Sam frowned at her buddy and elbowed him as they walked across the softball field. "What's up?"

"Nothing," he sighed.

"Doesn't sound like nothing."

"Sam. Forget it, okay? It's nothing. So, did you pick up your costume yet?"

Sam's eyes widened. "Oh, crap! The dance! I totally forgot that it's tomorrow night! Austin and I -

"Right. Of course. You know what, Sam? Why don't you just go with Austin? I mean...you deserve to go with the guy you really like," he finished softly.

Sam bit her lip but couldn't help but feel a bit more excited. "Are you sure?"

Carter handed her a bat and tossed a ball high up in the air. "Absolutely."

* * *

**A/N: La la la. I finally updated. After three months. Now that...that is a record, I have to say. -bows- Go ahead and virtually throw something at me. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I haven't written for this story in almost a year. But...since it would seem as if there are a few of you genuinely interested in seeing this reach the finish line, I'm going to try to do just that. I never liked leaving a story unfinished, anyway. Hope you enjoy this update!**

**This is part one of two. Because I got really lazy and tired and decided I'd finish the rest of it later. Heh.**

* * *

"I think something's bothering Carter."

Austin took a sip of his water and nodded. "Yeah? Is he okay...?" He wasn't sure what to say. He didn't really know Carter very well. They just didn't run with the same crowd. The only thing they had in common was, well, Sam.

Sam sighed dejectedly. Carter had always been her best friend and seeing him look so down hurt her. "Mmm-hmm. I can't figure it out, though. He just won't talk to me. And I usually can't get him to shut up!" She leaned back against the Ames' family's sofa and closed her eyes. "And the dance is tonight and Carter said we should just go together instead."

Inwardly, Austin was smiling. He had been secretly jealous of Carter, because he was taking Sam to the dance. Of course, who wouldn't be?

Sam poked him childishly. "What should I do?"

He was on the verge of saying that she should just go with him instead of Carter, but he stopped himself. "I think..." He paused. "I think you should go to the dance with Carter. I mean, you guys have wanted to go since Freshman year, right? Besides, we can still hang out at the dance. I'm sure Carter just misses his best friend."

Sam smiled, wondering how in the world Austin Ames could be so understanding. "Really?"

He laughed at her pretty smile, brushing the stray hairs out of her face. "Yes, really. Now, you should probably work on getting a costume before the dance starts..."

"...right. I guess I should talk to Rhonda, then. Maybe she'll have an idea."

Austin smiled coyly. "I saw this great Hawaiian coconut costume earlier, maybe you could wear that..."

"Ha. Keep dreaming, Ames."

* * *

Sam ignored Fiona's angry texts telling her to come in to work (on zero notice, of course) as she ran up to Carter's front door. She knocked twice and smiled when his mom answered the door.

"Oh, hi Sam! This is a pleasant surprise. Come in, come in. I just made some oatmeal raisin cookies."

Sam had always loved Carter's mom, almost as much as she loved her own mom. She was everything a great mom needed to be. She made cookies for no reason and knew exactly what was going on in Carter's life even when he didn't say anything. She listened and she cared. She even cared about Sam as much as she cared about Carter.

"Thanks, Mrs. Farrell. Um, is Carter here?"

Mrs. Farrell nodded. "He sure is. He's up in his bedroom...supposedly doing his Calculus, but I suspect he's running lines again. More of his 'method actor' stuff." She laughed heartily. "Come here first, dear. You can bring some of those cookies up before I eat them all."

Sam followed the middle-aged woman as they continued to make small talk about school and softball. When the phone rang and Mrs. Farrell went to answer the call, Sam smiled and went upstairs to greet her best friend.

She tapped lightly on Carter's door, a pristine white door clear of any warning signs or keep outs. She could hear him talking to himself about some girl, but when she called his name, she heard him trip and yelp. He stumbled to the door and opened it.

"Sam?"

She held up the plate. "Your mom made oatmeal raisin. Can I come in?"

He turned around and sighed. There was no excuse to say no. His room was never a mess, unlike most teenage boys. Sam had always said it was one of the greatest things about him.

"Sure," he muttered, opening the door wider. "What's up?" He sat down on his full-sized bed as Sam chose to sit at his desk instead.

She shrugged. "Well...the dance is tonight." Out of the corner of her eye she could see the Zorro costume he'd rambled about for weeks.

"Yeah, it is." He nodded, unusually not talkative. "You're...going with Austin Ames, right?" The name rolled off his tongue like he was speaking some foreign language for the first time.

Sam smiled brightly and took a small bite of a cookie. She chewed for a few seconds before swallowing. "Actually, that's what I came over to talk about. I know you said that me and Austin should go together, but this is something that you and I have planned since Freshman year. We should go together."

Carter didn't say anything for a second, before he tossed her a small smile. "Are you sure? I bet you don't even have a costume yet."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Actually...quite the opposite. Rhonda said she's got a surprise for me later. I'm not sure what that means, but Rhonda's never steered me wrong before. C'mon...I've never wanted to do dances before, but you're my bestest friend and we've gotta do this."

"I don't know..."

She hit him with her cookie. "Just say yes, Zorro."

Carter picked up the cookie and brushed the crumbs off of his lap. "Okay, okay."

"Awesome! Well, I've gotta go see Rhonda about the costume, but I'll be back around six. We can get something to eat before the dance."

Carter smiled, one of the first genuine ones Sam had seen in days. "Alright. I'll see you later, cookie monster."

"Bye, Zorro!"

* * *

"Look, Fiona. I am not working tonight. It's not on my schedule and I've already pulled two shifts this week late notice, because you asked me. The dance is tonight and I'm not missing it. If you need someone to work, why don't you put on some skates and do it yourself."

Rhonda rolled her eyes. "If only you would say that to the dragon lady herself instead of my hallway mirror."

Sam sighed and followed Rhonda and the box she held in her hands down the hall. "She wants me to work tonight. What am I going to do? If I say no, she definitely won't pay for my college."

Rhonda sat her down and took her hands in her own. "Listen to me, Sam. You have done too much as it is. You're only sixteen. You shouldn't have to pull extra shifts on Saturday nights. You shouldn't be working! This isn't what your dad would want. So, you go to that dance and leave the dragon lady to me."

Sam nodded and then pointed to the box. "What's this?"

"It was supposed to be my second attempt down the aisle."

Sam gave her a questioning look.

"Trust me, Sam. It's a long story." Rhonda then took the lid off and laughed at Sam's stunned expression. "Don't argue with me, Sam. You're going to wear it and have your Cinderella night. You deserve it."

"Rhonda..."

"I know. I love you, too."

* * *

**Uh...so, I'm not really expecting any reviews since it's been so long, but if you want me to update faster than I have (current record being ten months), I'd advise you to encourage me, please. Thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm slowly starting to realize that I need to stop writing multi-chapter stories simultaneously...it never seems to work out for me...but anyways, some of you still seemed interested in seeing this little whatchamacallit make it to the end. So, I'm going to try to finish it over the course of June. Then I'll try to finish some of my other works and maybe even start something totally fresh. :) Thanks for clicking and I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Sam, how did you get out of working tonight? I know the stepmonster was trying to keep you in her dungeon, again." Carter sat in the passenger seat of Sam's mustang, and she was tightly gripping the steering wheel to the point where her knuckles looked scary white.

She swallowed uneasily as her eyes flickered over to her best friend. She sighed heavily, before stopping in front of a red light. "Carter, I'm not so sure that Fiona was kidding this time," she told him.

Carter's expression morphed into a look of utter confusion. "What _exactly_ do you mean by that?"

"I mean that Sam Montgomery is homeless, Carter."

She numbly watched the light turn green and steadily rolled past the light. She couldn't look at Carter now, couldn't see his fury and sadness. She already wanted to crawl under a rock and die. Or cry. Or both. She would be the first to admit that Fiona was a terrible mother, maybe even a terrible person. But she never would have thought that Fiona could go this far.

Carter took a long time to respond. Quietly, he asked her, "She threw you out?"

"Yup."

"_Why_?"

Sam laughed humorlessly. "Why _not_? She's got everything, Carter. She's got the diner. She's got the house. She's got two stupid bitches for kids and - and she never wanted me in the first place. Gold-digger is not a strong enough word. She's some other kind of evil, Carter."

He glanced down at her Cinderella outfit, took a look at his own Zorro appearance, and knew that there was no way they'd be stepping into that dance. "She threw you out, because you told her you weren't working tonight. Because of the dance," he told her.

She didn't respond.

"Sam, please don't lie to me. Did she throw you out, because of the dance?"

A slight nod gave him two shots of guilt to the pit of his stomach. He was certain if he saw Fiona any time soon, all he'd want is to hurt her in the way that she hurt Sam. It just wasn't fair. After everything Sam had been through in life, it just wasn't fair.

"Make a right up here," he told her.

She quickly turned to see a determined look on Carter's face that she'd only seen a few times in her life. "Carter...?"

"Just - just make the right, Sam."

She did as he asked. "But the dance is - "

"I know where the dance is, Sam. That's not where we're going."

The authoritative tone in his voice made her feel something different. She couldn't pinpoint what it was, but it made her feel less tense and more relieved about the final words Fiona had said just a few hours earlier...

* * *

_"What the hell are you wearing?" Fiona asked as she creaked open Sam's door. She was going to snoop around for anything that would get Sam into trouble, again, but what she saw diminished all previous malicious intent. _

_Sam turned around in shock. "Fiona!" She was half-glammed up in her Cinderella costume, her hair half curled and her make-up undone._

_Fiona took into account the beautiful white dress and the sparkly silver heels and her mouth went sour. "Did you _really _think _I _would let _you _go to the dance tonight, Sam? Haven't you realized by now that you don't belong in places like that? You are an ugly, self-obsessed _child_. You're childish, Sam. See, this is why I took pity on your father - "_

_Sam's eyes were full of anger at the mention of her dad. "Don't you dare talk about my father. Don't you dare!"_

_"The truth is that he loved me more than you, Sam. And really the best thing that ever happened to him was his death. Think about it. He finally got away from _you_."_

_She was full of rage as she screamed, "No! My dad loved me and my _mother _more than he could ever love anyone as evil as you. You are evil, Fiona. And I hope to God that you rot in hell."_

_Fiona frowned. "You're not going to the dance, Sam." She reverted away from the father chit-chat, afraid that Sam might slug her. _

_"Yes," she said confidently, "I am." She turned back to her mirror and picked up the curler to continue fixing her hair. _

_"If you go to that dance, then you can no longer live here. Or work at the diner." Fiona smiled triumphantly, knowing that she had Sam pinned against the corner with no chance of escaping. _

_Sam looked into the mirror and saw her reflection. Tears had started to fall and Fiona, standing in the background decked out in bitch and barbie pink, looked none the happier. She set the curler down and hastily smeared the tears away. "Nope. Kick me out, fire me, say whatever you want about me. I don't care. I'm through with you, Fiona. And someday, when you're all alone and your children couldn't care less about you, you're going to think about me. And you're going to realize that you treated me like shit. And I hope that the pain you feel is agonizing."_

_She was met with an icy glare. "Get your shit out of my house within 72 hours or I'll have myself a little bonfire later."_

_Sam made no response as Fiona marched out of her territory. And when she did, her legs buckled and she collapsed to the floor. It was hard to breathe and even harder to understand what had just happened. The house she had grown up in all her life...it had just been stolen from her completely. _

_

* * *

_

"Carter? Sam?" Mrs. Farrell stood in front of the two teenagers utterly confused. "Why aren't you at the dance?"

Carter smiled grimly. "It's sort of a long story."

His mother rolled her eyes and opened the door wider. "Well, aren't they always with you."

Sam and Carter laughed as they followed the older woman inside. They made their way to the kitchen where Mrs. Farrell had just brought out a warm, apple pie. Sam nearly crumbled at the smell, because Mrs. Farrell knew that it was Sam's favorite.

"So, what's this long story, hmm?"

When the two finally finished explaining to Mrs. Farrell what had happened, the mother looked like she was ready to kill. She was downright murderous. "Oh, if I could just see that woman right now..."

"Mrs. Farrell, really, it's okay."

Her eyes snapped up to meet Sam's. "No, Sam. It is _not _okay. That is not okay by any means. Your father," she told her softly, "was a good, honest man. And he loved you more than anything in the world. He wanted to do right by you, Sam. He would be ashamed of the life you've had to leave because of that - that _bitch_." Both Sam and Carter were surprised by the choice word, as Mrs. Farrell never cursed.

Sam nodded as Mrs. Farrell passed her a piece of pie. She took a small, albeit heavenly, bite before she pushed the plate away. "I don't know what to do now," she admitted to them. She had been independent for so long and so sure of herself, but now she didn't know what to do at all.

Carter's mom took her hand from across the kitchen table and smiled earnestly. "Oh, Sam. You don't have to worry. We have a spare room upstairs. We'll get your stuff tomorrow and - "

Sam _and _Carter couldn't believe what they were hearing. Sam had tears forming again as she leaned in to hug her. "Thank you," she mumbled into her ear. "This means so much to me."

Carter watched the exchange going on between them and wasn't amused. All he wanted to do now was shoot himself. He had singlehandedly saved the princess from the dragonlady. But it wasn't his princess to save and now he would have to watch miserably as Austin picked up Sam or as Austin came over to watch a dvd with Sam.

He positioned his hand into the shape of a gun and fired at his head, before letting it fall back against his chair. _Just shoot me_, he pleaded with the universe.

Sam turned to Carter and smiled gleefully. "Isn't this great?" she asked him.

He faked a smile and nodded to meet her enthusiasm. "Uh huh."

* * *

**Reviews are appreciated, of course. They fuel the fire. Ha. As it is summertime for this here overachiever (right...), I can finally update on a normal basis. So, if anyone is interested, I'll probably have another chapter up by next week. Thanks for stopping by _and _for reading this note!**


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